Why is it "an Asia" but not "a Asia"?

Asked Sep 06 '15 at 18:24

Active Sep 06 '15 at 18:24

Viewed 55 times

There was an Asia Minor and an Asia Major located in modern-day Iraq.
Classical antiquity

We use "an" when the word is starting with a, e, i, o, u. (e.g. an elephant) Second rule is if the word pronounced directly a, e, i, o, u we cannot use "an". (eg. a unicorn)

Asia in this case starts with a, and is pronounced directly as a.

asked Sep 06 '15 at 18:24

XPMai

1,109
3
13
32

By the way, I know a Asia is uncommon. I'm looking for a technical answer. – XPMai Sep 06 '15 at 18:26
You have misstated the rule. The rule is to use an before vowel sounds and a before consonant sounds, like /ði/ and /ðə/: the spelling is immaterial, because this is strictly a sound-rule. See sandhi for details. See also When should I use “a” vs “an”? and Do you use “a” or “an” before acronyms? and When should I use “a” versus “an” in front of a word beginning with the letter h? on ELU, which combined make up the most frequently asked question ever there. – tchrist Sep 06 '15 at 18:59
Can you quickly answer me? I still can't find the mistake. – XPMai Sep 06 '15 at 19:27
1

'Unicorn' is misleading you because it's pronounced 'You-nicorn' - as tchrist says, it's a sound-rule. Compare 'An update', 'An umbrella' etc. – peterG Sep 07 '15 at 01:37
@peterG But if it's a sound rule, why is the /j/ at the beginning of unicorn considered a consonant? After all, it has none of the phonetic or articulatory attributes of a consonant! – – Araucaria - Not here any more. Sep 08 '15 at 18:58

Why is it "an Asia" but not "a Asia"?

0 Answers0